The Natural Language Acquisition Guide:

Echolalia is all about gestalt language development

Marge Blanc, M.A. CCC-SLP

Illustrated by Jon G. Lyon
www.communicationdevelopmentcenter.com

Echolalia! It’s all about gestalt language development!

Welcome to an adventure in natural language development — one in which you

are a crucial player, because you
support a child or young adult who
is developing language — naturally
— the gestalt way!

Please join our growing community

of people who understand that
gestalt language processing and
gestalt language development are
natural, and all around us. Your
eyes will be opened.

To get you started, please read

these ‘echolalic’/gestalt comments,
and realize something profound.
These phrases and others like them
are vitally important because they make up the first, crucial stage of language
development, real language development, for children and young adults who are
‘echolalic’ — more accurately, gestalt language processors. These gestalt
language processors develop language naturally: starting with whole chunks of
language: some short, some long — some from media, some from songs, and
plenty from the other people in their lives, including you! From now on, you will
never see ‘echolalia’ the same way! It is gestalt language processing (GLP) and
gestalt language processors use ‘echolalia’ (gestalts) in natural language
development!

 See if you recognize these common gestalts:

“Howyadoin?”
“Wow!”
“Toinfinityandbeyond!”
“Letsgetoutofhere!”
“Wantsomemore?”
“Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz”
“Happybirthdaytoyou”
“Ifyourehappyandyouknowitclapyourhands”

See what we mean? Familiar language, often spoken indistinctly, often

melodically, and sometimes not spoken at all, but cued up on YouTube, ready to
be played — and shared. And, yes, echolalia communicates. So get ready to learn
more!

First some background:

Research in the
natural
development of
language is
foundational to
the field of
Speech-Language
Pathology. More
than two decades
of research was
summarized by
Ann Peters (1983)
and Barry Prizant
(1983). Re-released by Ann Peters in 2021, The Units of Language Acquisition
describes how children naturally acquire their first ‘units of meaning’ from the
speech stream around them. Some ‘units' are single words, often the ones
parents ‘reference’ by pointing, looking, and naming. These words provide the
foundation for what we have called ‘typical language development.’ More
accurately, this is ‘analytic language development,’ the kind we are most familiar

with: starting with single words, then two word combinations, then short
phrases — and longer sentences.

But there are other kinds of ‘units’ — gestalt units. The word ‘gestalt’ means
‘whole,’ so gestalt units are typically long ‘wholes,’ whole sentences, whole songs,
whole stories. And GLPs naturally recognize their importance when they hear
them because they’re part of whole experiences. Gestalts are like the sound
track of experiences, or life episodes. And when they’re spoken in every-day
language, children recognize their boundaries by the silences that surround
them. The speaker pauses momentarily, and gestalt kids pay attention. These
‘units’ are whole chunks of language, and if spoken later (‘delayed echolalia’) the
foundation of gestalt language development. Yes, they can be single words like
‘Wow!” or “No!” but are more often longer. “How ya doin’?” “If you’re happy
and you know it, clap your hands.” The language of any important experience
or ‘episode’ of life might be a gestalt that a child spontaneously acquires and
uses later. And any language ‘whole’ that is acquired naturally represents a ‘unit
of meaning’ for a gestalt child. The meaning isn’t the adult definition, but the
emotional/social ‘whole’ of the situation as experienced by the child: happy
moments expressed by the two examples above, and other emotion-filled
moments experienced in real life or via media.

The meaning of any gestalt is singular to the individual who picks it up. As the
sound track of an important experience, a language gestalt carries the emotion
felt by the GLP at the time. “We gotta get going” says Mom as she herds the
kids towards the door. “I don’t wanna go” responds big brother as he pulls away.
The feelings of the situation matter to the younger sibling, and “I don’t wanna
go” is the sound track of resistance. But big sister is excited. “Yay, let’s get
McNuggets!’ she shouts as she prances towards the door, and the gestalt of a
fun-filled adventure includes a very different sound track. “Yeh geh nuheh!” our
little gestalt processor yells and he’s ready to go.

See how natural this all sounds? It is all spontaneous extraction of meaning
from the ‘language soup’ that young ones are immersed in whether by single
word pointing and referencing for analytic processors, or multi-word ‘gestalts’
for gestalt processors, delivered with emotion-filled intonation.

Barry Prizant and colleagues recognized this natural process in autistic children
who used ‘delayed echolalia.’ And even more exciting, using Ann Peters’

description of gestalt language processing, they discovered that ‘delayed

echolalia’ in autism changes over time, just like with neurotypicals, and develops
into spontaneous, self-generated language. Prizant presented this natural process
as four consecutive stages, developing from gestalts at Stage 1 to self-generated
language at Stage 4. As it had for neurotypicals, this natural process became part
of the literature on language development in autism!

Natural Language Acquisition and Gestalt Language Processing

Using the framework discovered by Barry Prizant and colleagues with autistic
children, our clinic collected longitudinal data on the language development of
autistic children, and other GLPs who were our clients. At a time when even
the intentionality of autistic children was questioned, we elicited and analyzed
longitudinal language samples, describing that four-stage process in detail. As
the data emerged, we recognized two additional stages, Stages 5 and 6 which
acknowledged more advanced grammatical development detailed by
Developmental Sentence Analysis (L. Lee, 1974).

Calling this process ‘Natural Language Acquisition,’ we highlighted the natural

quality of this progression, distancing it from the pathologizing history of
‘echolalia.’ Almost all of our clients were autistic, but we found the same process
in our neurotypical gestalt clients as well. In 2005, preliminary NLA data were
first published in the Autism-Aspergers Digest as, “Finding the Words: to Tell
the Whole Story.” With greater longitudinal data, we presented NLA in the
book, Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: the Journey from Echolalia
to Self-Generated Language (M. Blanc, 2012). The longitudinal data Barry Prizant
had felt was necessary in 1983 was finally there, and in 2015 Prizant endorsed
the book as “the most comprehensive consideration of echolalia and language
characteristics of persons with autism to date.”

To reiterate the connection between Natural Language Acquisition and gestalt

language development, NLA is a detailed description of the natural gestalt
language development process — detailed by longitudinal language development
data. NLA describes the four developmental stages identified by Prizant and
colleagues, expanded to six, and quantified so the natural language of each
gestalt processor can be assessed, followed, and used in planning natural
environmental supports at each stage.

Data-collection was part of

regular clinical services. The
children were all receiving
speech and language services
at the Communication
Development Center in
Madison, Wisconsin, and
data collection was through
natural language sampling
using the guidelines
developed by Laura Lee
(1971). Since almost all clients were autistic, ranging in age from three to fifteen,
their language development data served to expand the documentation of Prizant
and colleagues. Like the classic ‘intonation babies’ described by early qualitative
researchers, these were all gestalt processors whose musicality, frequent lack of
intelligibility, and general lack of referential language distinguished them from
the classic ‘word babies’ known in the research literature as ‘analytic processors.’

The NLA book served to complete the story begun many years earlier by Barry
Prizant and others. As noted by Prizant in 2015, “In this seminal work, Marge
Blanc, an experienced clinician and clinical researcher, brings us back to a crucial
understanding of language characteristics and language acquisition in ASD
based on her deep understanding of language development from a social-
pragmatic, child-centered perspective.”

The NLA book became the cornerstone of the courses, trainings, webinars, and
podcasts which have followed in these venues among others: American Speech-
Language-Hearing Association, Northern Speech Services, Legado Universal del
Autismo, New Jersey Autism Center of Excellence, Meaningful Speech, a large
number of Instagram accounts, and a variety of Facebook groups, including
Natural Language Acquisition Study Group, AAC and Gestalt Language
Development, Canadian SLPs and CDAs for Natural Language Acquisition, a
UK/Ireland study group, and a francophone group in Canada. In addition, the
Communication Development Center website has become a home for existing
qualitative and anecdotal data, and a place to expand internationally.

The new edition of the NLA book will be released in 2022 as Natural Language
Acquisition: a Guide to Gestalt Language Development from Echolalia to Self-Generated

Language (M. Blanc, 2022). The new book will naturally build on our work, and
that of Ann Peters, Barry Prizant, and others, and include the anecdotal stories
we are collecting, that highlight gestalt language processing and its natural place
in language development for individuals of different neurotypes.

Gestalt Language Development and Analytic Language Development

Having described gestalt language development in some detail, it’s now time to
revisit the larger context of language development for all children. Besides the
two natural styles of language development, ALP and GLP, there is a combined
process possible when children are very young (A. Peters, 1983). While it is
important for all of us to realize this is possible with our ‘littles,’ it is usually
witnessed only by parents — and often goes ‘under the radar’ completely, as
unintelligible utterances are seen only as ‘jargon.’ While most of us never see
this process, it is important to the big picture, and more about this ‘dual
processing’ will be presented later in this guide.

Now let’s go back to what most of us know: the style of acquiring ‘units of
meaning’ first through single words as ‘analytic processing.’ This is the familiar
process in which single-word ‘units’ become the building blocks of phrases and
sentences. ALP is easy-to-recognize because it seems straight forward, and looks
‘transparent’ to us. Much of the child development literature refers to it as
‘typical,’ even though we now know it is just one style of ‘typical.’

In contrast, the other style of naturally acquiring language, gestalt language

development is harder to recognize, but perhaps no less common. Gestalts are
often identified by their melody, sometimes songs sung without identifiable
words, or intonational
contours spoken without
identifiable speech sounds.
Since long multi-word gestalt
units are hard for young
children to say, they are often
unintelligible. We
misunderstand, and call this
language ‘jargon.’ Far from
jargon, these gestalts are just
as meaningful as single words,

and generally more-so because they represent whole events. They are just harder
to understand. And their meaning is harder to decipher. They are spoken later
(‘delayed’ in time) so their origin is often a mystery (to us). Sometimes called
‘unconventional,’ they are anything but, just longer, harder to say, and harder
(for us) to match with meaning.

To complicate matters (for us), some of these gestalts come from sources other
than everyday language, often media, so uninformed people may think gestalt
processors are 'just echoing,’ 'just stimming,’ or using echolalia that should be
ignored. Gestalt processors are very often misunderstood, and need our
understanding. A poignant quote comes from a source included in a recent
survey of the literature, “Repeating purposefully: Empowering educators with
functional communication models of echolalia in Autism (E Cohn, K McVilly,
M Harrison L Stiegler, 2022) “Dyer and Hadden…offered a six-category model
of communicative functions in delayed echolalia…and pointed out that the onus
is on the communicative partner to discover what the Echolalic is attempting to
say. They wrote, “Often it is only the person who manages to deduce the ‘clue’
who can make a response that does not lead to panic in the autistic child at not
being understood” (Dyer & Hadden, 1981) As any of us knows, the importance
of being understood as a communicator cannot be overestimated.

Older individuals have time for gestalt language development

The good news for GLPs is that once we understand the process, we can help.
Too often, people have thought that children older than 6 or 7 were too old to
acquire grammatical language. If a child is autistic, we have often presumed they
were incapable of developmental language at all. When we underestimate
minimally-speaking and unintelligible children, we sometimes decide to ‘teach’
them to say (or access) rote sentences instead. If they are considered
‘disordered’ analytic processors instead of gestalt language processors, they are
then subjected to drills and prompts to say the things they are not
neurologically-designed to say. They are met with IEP goals that target
seemingly-functional phrases like, “I want…” and “I need help, please,” on the
premise that these ‘language skills’ or ‘language behaviors’ will at least give them
something to say in order to make choices and begin to advocate for themselves.

This compensatory strategy is misguided, however, undermining both

neurodivergent and neurotypical gestalt processors, and interfering with natural

language development. NLA is changing all of that. Sharing among SLPs and
parents has filled in many of the gaps in our qualitative data bank, and the
various NLA groups, regionally and on Facebook, abound with success stories
about gestalt language processors who are being supported naturally and
successfully as they move toward self-generated, and naturally-acquired
grammar. Additionally, collaboration between parents and experts in
Augmentative and Alternative Communication and literacy are paving the way
for language development among multi-modal, non-speaking, minimally-
speaking, and unreliably-speaking gestalt language processors.

Children who could have been misunderstood are now being understood, and
are proving their capacity for language development — even into their teens and
20’s. The light is coming in through the ‘crack in the bell,’ and they are
resonating with that light!

We want to continue this enlightenment! To do so, what do we need to do?

What are the basics of language development that we all need to understand?
Here are are the first ones:

(1) some children use an analytic language development process much more
than an gestalt language development process
(2) other children use the gestalt process much more

(3) some children are young enough to use both. Generally speaking, the
younger the child, the less it matters which style is dominant, or if both
styles are used and supported.

With a limited number of gestalts in their minds, young gestalt processors can
often break down their gestalts between the ages of 12 and 36 months, discover
the parts, and then the single words, within them — and start to build phrases
and sentences much like an analytic processor. They may be ‘delayed,’ but catch
up with their analytic peers. This is especially true when someone recognizes
their process, and ensures that they hear everyday language that is easy to break
down and recombine for more flexible communication.

Very young children using both styles of language processing were reported in
the original research — and with the re-releasing of Ann Peters’ work in 2021,
reported again today. We would love to hear from parents of such children as
we look towards a new wave of qualitative research. So-called ‘dual processors’
can pick up ‘Fivelittlemonkeysjumpingonabed’ as a whole — melodic but
unclear — gestalt, and ‘trampoline’ as an important single word, and sing
“Fivelittlemonkeysjumpingonatrampoline.” This combined style was described
by the ‘frame and slot’ research of Ann Peters, so we know it can quickly lead to
further language development. With the combined support of families and their
SLPs, such children’s progress promises to expand our understanding of
language processing. Please pay attention to your child and believe in their
process. Please report back to us; we are listening.

The trajectory of language development from a gestalt perspective

To illustrate the entire process of gestalt language development, let’s look at an

overview of how it progresses over time. While this ongoing process is never
completely predictable or ‘clean,’ and its often-simultaneous parts are exciting to
witness, the general trajectory described by Natural Language Acquisition allows
us to naturally support our children and young adults along the way. NLA gives
us the confidence to believe in our gestalt language processors!

 Natural Language Acquisition Stage

1 Language gestalts (wholes, scripts, songs, episodes)

2 Mitigations (mitigated gestalts, partial scripts)

Mix and match combinations of partial scripts

3 Isolated single words
Two-word combinations of referential single words
4 Original phrases and beginning sentences
5 Original sentences with more complex grammar
6 Original sentences with a complete grammar system

Stages 1 and 2 address language gestalts and their mitigations. At Stage 3,

further mitigation into single words appears, and the emphasis shifts to isolating
the building blocks of future grammatical utterances. At Stage 3, GLPs show
the qualities ALPs demonstrate as they begin their analytic language journeys
with single words: pointing, referential naming, greater speech clarity, and
pausing to consider the next referential word to be chosen — qualities that
suggest the greater volitional nature of Stage 3. These feel like new qualities in
language processing that usher in the shift to the semantic relationships coded
by grammar at Stage 4, and then more advanced grammar at Stages 5 and 6.

The next three displays are expansions of the first chart. Stage 1 utterances are
followed as they are mitigated, ‘mixed and matched,’ and made more flexible so
they can be used in a greater variety of situations. Children are amply rewarded
then, as people are much more aware that they are speaking in a way we
understand — and communicating. Some Stage 2 communicators are so facile
with their mitigations, in fact, that they are seen as using original grammar,
which they are not. They are not self-generating until Stage 3, however, when
single words are derived — and then combined in completely original utterances
at Stages 4-6.

10

 The next chart shows the first two stages, starting with the use of stored/
processed gestalts at Stage 1. These can be as short as one word like ‘Wow!’ or
‘Thanks!’ and as long as whole books and movies. Stage 2 follows with three
processes: shortening of long gestalts, dividing gestalts into parts, and
recombining parts in a ‘mix-and-match’ fashion.

1 Storing, processing, and use of whole language gestalts

"Let#s get out of here!$%
"Want some more?”
“ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP”
“Upabovetheworldsohigh”

2 Mitigating gestalts and use of mitigations

2a Shortening long gestalts

“ABCDEFG” “So high”

2b Dividing gestalts into smaller chunks

! "Let#s get” + "out of here!$%
! "Want” + "some more?”

2c Recombining chunks to create new utterances

"Let#s get + some more?$!%
! "Want + out of here!”

The next chart shows the second mitigation step, where GLPs naturally divide
shorter chunks into single words. Adequate time at Stage 2 is necessary for Stage
3 readiness, so we should not attempt to lead children to Stage 3. As a natural
process, Stage 3(a) happens in due time, and we should not try to rush it. But
when Stage 3 spontaneously happens, children quickly move from (3a) to (3b),
combining two words in a mix-and-match fashion much like analytic processors
do at the ‘two-unit’ stage of language development.

11



 This is vocabulary-development time, the rich period of using referential
pointing and eye gaze to ‘refer’ to nouns, locations, and qualities in the
environment, much like the ‘Mommy + sock’ combinations (3c) that precede
grammar development in analytic processing. Our support at Stage 3 is the
partnership we give our children as we discover these noun + noun, noun +
adjective, and noun + location combinations together. We model, we take turns,
and we play with language that has no word order or grammar, and prepares our
children for the next Stage, the addition of more semantic relationships, those
expressed through grammar. It is highly important that the early ‘semantic
relationships’ at Stage 3 become second-nature to the gestalt language processor
as they transition to Stage 4. Very young children may be ready very quickly;
older individuals may take weeks or months. But, if we play our parts right, all
our GLPs will be ready for grammar.

3a Further mitigating/dividing mitigations into single words

3b Recombining single words

"Get … more” "Want … out?”
“Out … some” “Here … more” “Out… more” “Here … out”

3c Creating combinations of two referential words

‘Ball…there’ ‘Ball…here’ ‘Red…ball’ ‘Red…blue’ ‘Floor…table’
‘Ball…mine’ ‘Table…under’ ‘Under…over’ ‘Outside… kitty’
‘Door…window’ ‘Kitty…window’ ‘Tree…flower’ ‘Rain
puddle’ ‘Rain…cloud’ ‘Raincoat…wet’ ‘Boots…here’ ‘On
boots’ ‘Coat…off ’ ‘Mommy…coat’ ‘Coat…wet’ ‘Wet…dry’ ‘Cold
outside’

The next chart shows the process of creating further two and three-word
combinations at Stage 4. Stage 4 begins with pre-sentence grammar, and is really
a continuation of Stage 3: expressing conceptual and semantic relationships that
involve the other parts of speech: verbs, pronouns, wh-question words,

12



conjunctions, negatives — all at the pre-sentence level. This is where

Developmental Sentence Types (DST) is invaluable as a guide to the semantic
relationships that precede sentences. Stage 4 grammar naturally moves from pre-
sentence grammar to sentence grammar once the semantic relationships of DST
have been explored.

Sentence-level grammar is outlined in Developmental Sentence Scoring (DSS),

and the beauty of its natural progression is that all the constructions at each
level emerge at about the same time. So it behooves us to be aware of the Level
1-3 structures at Stage 4, so we can use them to express ourselves with language
models that incorporate basic grammar. The ‘mix-and-match’ of grammatical
functions continues within our conversational partnership with the child, and
playing with grammatical possibilities can be part of conversational exchanges
just like pre-grammatical possibilities were.

Our language modeling should never stray from meaningful contexts. We use
meaning as our guide always. Function remains our focus, with form being just a
‘tool.’ At early Stage 4, grammar is experimental, and continues to reflect
semantic relationships more than accuracy. We never need to ‘correct’ a child’s
experimental grammar or ‘expect’ a child to ‘say-what-we-say.’ The other caveat
at Stage 4 is to refrain from using the hallmark words from Stages 1 and 2.
Avoiding ‘mini-chunks’ like ‘It’s…,’ ‘I’m…,’ ‘Let’s…,’ etc. will help keep our
GLPs from retreating back to the familiar world of Stage 2 mitigations.

Stages 5 and 6 continue the self-generating process, with the order of grammar
development reflected in the work of Laura Lee’s description of eight levels of
self-generated grammar development. Equated to NLA Stages, NLA Stage 4 =
DSS 1-3; NLA Stage 5 = DSS 4-6; NLA Stage 6 = DSS 7-8. Stages 5 and 6
naturally follow Stage 4 when GLPs are ready, and even though ‘form’ does
become more complex, the value of grammatical structures remains grounded
in function. Stages 5 and 6 are the higher levels of grammar for analytic
processors as well, with the caveat for our GLPs that they may be tempted at
various junctures to ‘revert’ to the old mitigated gestalts under some conditions.
Dysregulation is one of them, as retrieving words and grammatical structures
takes time and thoughtfulness. When formulation is taxing, old gestalts and
mitigations may be retrieved more automatically. Having them to fall back on
can be very useful, however, as long as the GLP remains aware of the two
processes: automatic gestalts vs thoughtful formulations.

13

 The following chart shows the second three Stages of self-generated language,
with particular emphasis on the three phrases of Stage 4: first pre-sentence
phrases (4a), first sentences (4b), and all basic sentence patterns (4c). Stage 4
takes considerable time, but the results are astounding.

4a Generating first phrases

‘water get it’ ‘got water dish’ ‘clean now?’ ‘where dish?’ ‘not dish
blue’ ‘and red?’ ‘because cold’ ‘take out’ ‘maybe not out’

4b Generating first sentences

‘Kitty get more water.”
‘I get more water kitty’
‘Kitty want out, ok?”

4c Generating all basic sentence patterns

‘My kitty likes to play with his toys.’
‘My kitty and I are good friends.’
‘We played in the snow last winter.’
‘Is your kitty climbing that tree?’

5 Generating more complex sentences

‘How long do you wanna play outside?’
‘Can we play with the kitty outside?’

6 Generating with a complete grammar

‘I don’t think we can play outside if we want to play with the kitty!’
‘Do you think it’s ok to leave the kitty all alone for about an hour?
‘I know what we can do: play inside all together so kitty won’t get
bored.”

The entire process of gestalt language development is exquisite, and fully

natural. If it seems ‘strange’ to us at first glance to begin with gestalts, we have
only to wait for the child to begin to move through the Stages in their language

14



development to see how natural it is. The gestalt process does not need to ‘make
sense' to us because it makes sense to the gestalt child.

Our description of the NLA Stages is now complete and leads us to the natural
supports at each stage of gestalt language processing. This section begins with
natural supports at all stages, including the foundational pieces of establishing
trust, engaging in regulating activity, and observing so we can follow the
individual’s lead in play or activity, and superimpose language on real life events.

Natural support for gestalt language development:

At all Stages: trust, regulation, observation

Language develops naturally if we recognize the processes involved and partner

with our children. That means recognizing analytic processing vs gestalt
processing, knowing the stages of language development for each, and allowing
each individual adequate time at each stage. But the foundation also includes
deeper principles of child development. It all begins with trust. Trust defines a
supportive relationship with the child, and it is up to us to earn and keep that
trust. Without trust, we have little right to try to second-guess (and model)
language the child might want to keep as their own.

Trust comes first, and allows true partnership to evolve. Within partnership, we
can observe the child’s natural inclinations, and ‘follow the child’s lead’ even as
we supply the ‘ramps’ for them to demonstrate it through motoric means. Co-
regulation means we figure out how we both can feel good, and can play freely
together. With self-regulation as a long-term goal, we watch all aspects of
physical development and coordination, and make sure they continue as the
child gets older.

We pay close attention to the language the child uses and accesses. That
language may be songs sung with only a slurred tune, intonational contours that
are attempted, unintelligible sound-making that we mistaken for jargon,
YouTube clips that are chosen over and over — all mistaken for nonsense by
someone who is not as aware of gestalt processes.

15

 Stage 1: Storing and using/accessing whole language gestalts

As we are well-aware, gestalt language processors naturally acquire language

gestalts from their environment: real life and media. At a young age, these are
the ‘sound tracks’ of lived (or witnessed) ‘episodes of life,’ and carry emotional
relevance to the child. When the child stores a language gestalt, language
development is launched. We become witness to this language development
once the child chooses to use (or access) any gestalt in another situation, to
communicate and to share their experience with others. Since it is their best
rendition of the initial sound track, it may be unintelligible: just a partial melody
or sound blur — very often impossible for listeners to decipher.

And as we also know, the child’s

use of Stage 1 gestalts is
‘delayed’ from their first
experience with it, and has,
therefore, been called ‘delayed
echolalia.’ And as we also know,
if language is imitated
immediately after hearing it, it
has been called ‘immediate
echolalia.’ This imitation of
language is helpful, and often
gives a child the chance to take
a conversational turn, or
another chance to process it,
but it is not a part of language
development per se unless it is
stored for later use. Not until it has been selected, and spoken or accessed later
to communicate, do we recognize it as part of language development.

“Let’s get out of here!”

“Want some more?”
“Abcdefghijklmnop”
“Happybirthdaytoyou”
“Toinfinityandbeyond”
“ihuhaaeeehuhohehclapyourhands”

16

Gestalt language development can begin at any age GLPs find themselves in an
environment that supports it. A very young child in a linguistically-rich
environment may have an easy time of mitigating — naturally using the ‘frame
+ slot’ process described by Ann Peters. But for most children who are older, it
takes the cognizance of at least one partner who recognizes it is happening.
With the conversational partnership of at least one person, the child can begin a
journey that takes place over in a matter of several years. But even if gestalt
processing is unrecognized until a person is a teenager, the journey can begin,
and continue, into an individual’s 20’s.

But the commonality of support, at all ages, is trust.

Trust allows us to add to a person’s language environment, and to judiciously

and naturally introduce easily-mitigable language gestalts that person might want
to acquire. With this ability, we can support easier language progress through the
stages, since some gestalts are much easier to mitigate than others. The decision
to acquire a particular gestalt is up to the individual, of course, but if we have
modeled just-the-right language for a person’s particular experience, we may find
that they have stored it away as part of their language, and chosen to use it later.
We are thrilled when that happens, but when it does not, we try others until
there is a match. We remain watchful and add language to the ‘teachable
moments’ we share. That defines a supportive linguistic environment.

17

 The older an individual, the more complicated the process, however. If

‘echolalia’ has not been understood to be communicative, the individual may
have given up on sharing language — and the use of gestalts may have gone
underground. With trust comes opportunity, however, so the process of gestalt
language development can begin at the age of 10, 15, or even later. It will always
begin with trust, but once that is established, the individual may well become
more willing to share — and more willing to consider other gestalts we might
share.

The bottom line here is that there is no reason not to get started with
supporting gestalt language processing! And every reason to start! Even if the
individual is older than 15, and we are not certain that a full grammar can be
achieved, experiencing successful communication with gestalts, and mitigated
gestalts, can make all the difference to a life of hope and sharing.

Stage 2: Shortening and dividing gestalts; creating new combinations

After sufficient time processing/storing/using Stage 1 gestalts, the GLP

naturally discovers that gestalts can be shortened to better reflect (or still reflect)
the essence the person felt about the original gestalt. So “Once upon a time, in a
land far away, there lived a grumpy troll” can be said more simply in several
ways, depending on the part of the original that resonates most. Maybe “Once
upon a time” or “in a land far away” or maybe “lived a grumpy troll.” Not only
is a mitigated gestalt easier to say, but it’s easier for other people to understand
— and realize the GLP is talking. Mitigating is natural, and relatively easy when
children are young and don’t yet have an encyclopedia of gestalts in their minds.
If they are older than 5 or 6, however, they may have so many gestalts in their
heads, that these scripts are very hard to break down. It may take many rewinds
for the GLP to discover, and isolate, the more salient parts.

The rewards of mitigation are many, however, and one reward is being about to
exercise the second part of Stage 2. It is visibly exciting when GLPs discover the
commonalities among favorite gestalts, and even more exciting when they can
move towards the ‘mixing and matching’ of them! To be able to say “Once
upon a time + to infinity” and “Happy birthday + clap your hands” is
empowering, and leads to more of the same.

18

 The process is natural even with older individuals, but often daunting without a
partner who understands the process. If we do our job right, we make it all
easier. Mitigable gestalts are mitigable because they share a commonality with
other similar gestalts, which is exactly what gestalt language processors are born
to discover. This ‘redundancy’ in the language environment makes it possible for
GLPs to hear ‘Let’s’ in many of the language models around them, ‘It’s’ in
others, and ‘I’m’ in still more. Once GLPs recognize this commonality, they can
say ‘It’s a ball,’ and ‘It’s a flower,’ and then a new sentence they’ve never heard
before, ‘It’s a caterpillar.’ They gradually achieve success with communicating
more flexibly with smaller chunks and combinations of smaller chunks, which
offer them greater intelligibility, greater acceptance among their communication
partners, and more precise communication.

With this
‘mixing and
matching’ of
partial gestalts
(mitigated parts)
comes easier
reciprocity with
others, which
means a greater
ability to
demonstrate
both
understanding
of language and
intentionality.
Once intentionality is easier to recognize, it begins to grow more nuanced as
GLPs experience greater success with their communicative ‘bids,’ and are happy
to continue exploring more Stage 2 possibilities. The illustration here is of one
older individual who began the gestalt language development process at age 10,
and achieved this level of linguistic success within a two-year period. Known as
‘Bevin’ in the NLA book, real-life Benjamin became a respected communicator
once he had mastered Stage 2. His communicative intentions were more
apparent, and it was clear they were as broad as any ALP. Not limited to those
identified in the research, the sky was the (limitless) limit.

19

 Stage 2 is natural, and works best when individuals have play and conversational
opportunities during which they can discover and create a wide variety of
combinations. As with Ben, individuals at Stage 2 are often seen as competent.
This is good, of course, but their success sometimes makes the step to Stage 3
seem confusing — to others, that is. For Ben, it seemed quite natural. Our job at
Stage 3 is to believe in that naturalness, and discover along with the GLP. If we
are comfortable with Stage 3, their natural inclination to discover will be
supported.

Stage 3: Isolating and recombining single words

Gestalt language processors naturally move to this next stage after they’ve
experienced enough success using Stage 2 language to express myriad
communicative intentions. Success supports success, and NLA has found that
when 50% of an individual’s communication uses a nice variety of Stage 2
language, GLPs naturally break down language chunks even further. This time
it’s into single words.

The first Stage 3 moment can be dramatic to witness; and probably always is
dramatic to experience for the GLP. Having witnessed several of these ‘Aha’
moments, I could feel the confusion + excitement of individuals who were used
to making long intonationally-supported comments like, “I gotta have that toy”
all-of-a-sudden declare “I ….. toy!’ The moment is magic.

The significance of the ‘Aha’ moment seems to be two-fold. First of all, the
gestalt processor is dissolving all the ‘frames’ from Stages 1 and 2, and
recognizing that all words can be used in isolation to convey meaning. Virtually
simultaneously, the GLP is recognizing the value of single words as ‘building
blocks’ of larger meaning. The first single word isolation/combo ‘packs a
punch’ just as strong as the phrases they were derived from, but almost-
simultaneously hints at the potential each of these two words holds, especially if
combined.

Sometimes this quantum change occurs virtually overnight, or in a single

moment. I’ve had the privilege of witnessing several classic Stage 3 moments.
Each had the leap-of-faith quality similar to the one Mary McLaughlin reported
in her blog, MOM-Not Otherwise Specified, in which she described her son,
Bud’s language progression:

20

 Stage 1: Quick, Dipsy. Help Laa Laa catch the ball!

Stage 2(a): Quick + Daddy. Help Mama + catch the ball!
Stage 2(b): Daddy catch the ball!
Stage 3: Daddy ball?
Stage 4: I playing ball with you, Daddy!

The magic of Bud’s Stage 3 discovery is captured in this illustration. The

confusion of the question also communicates the statement. It all happens at
the same time!

Another significance of this magic Stage 3 is that, for the first time, GLPs have
the opportunity to fully ‘refer’ to single words. On the surface, this may seem
similar to the way analytic processors ‘refer’ to single words at a much younger
age — but for the older and wiser GLP, each single word ‘unit’ is more than an
analytic-style ‘label.’ It is a meaning-filled reference point the GLP has worked
hard to get to, one that can be used in all the ways that grammar will eventually
allow — starting with first, two-word ‘semantic relationships.’ Semantics is the
meaning of individual words and ‘semantic relationships’ refer to how one word
relates to another word. It’s a process that grows as grammar grows. And once a
word has been used in all the constructions of Stages 4-6, it becomes part of a

21

multi-point constellation that conveys more and more ‘relationships’ that

multiply all the rest of our lives.

But here’s the caveat. Once GLPs arrive at Stage 3, they almost immediately
begin to combine single words into these conceptual two-word combinations.
This is natural, of course, but which combinations will set the tone for the rest
of their language development? The only combinations that have ever known so
far have been combos of mini-gestalts. How will they realize the power of the
newly-minted possibilities, if we are unaware of how important Stage 3 is? We
owe it to our GLPs to ‘push pause’ in our desire to move on to sentences, and
have some fun with the word + word combos we can see around us. In order to
realize the power of grammar, we need to help GLPs get a feel for the potential
of the word as a building block. We are the ones who need to pause and savor
the moment, and realize how Stage 3 feels and sounds, so we can recognize it
and honor it. It does not sound like the language of Stage 2, so we need to
recognize it and its importance. Stage 3 naturally moves forward, not back into
Stage 2. That temptation was minimal 15-20 years ago when the NLA data was
taken, and even 10-15 years ago when the book was written. But in our media-
rich, pandemic-altered world of today, it is quite real. Stage 1 and 2 language
surrounds us all, and the drama of it can trump self-generated language unless
GLPs’ natural process is allowed to flourish. We truly need to partner with our
Stage 3 GLPs to ‘push pause,’ so they can move forward — naturally!

Stage 3 two-word combinations have great potential for the GLP’s future. They
are the first ‘relationships’ between independent, and independently-chosen
single words. It is crucial that we recognize that. If we ‘push pause,’ we can take
stock of that, and support our GLPs through our example. If we don’t, they will
have no other language partners to engage with. Partnering in this natural Stage
3 place is how we support our GLPs.

First Stage 3 word + word combos express relationships among things and
qualities: tangible things we can see, hear, touch, and point to — attributes we
can notice and reference — places we can gesture towards. They are not mini-
gestalts any more. They are not anything that sound like Stage 2. They open our
minds to other possibilities. They presage grammar, but are not grammar. They
are vocabulary, tangible, referential vocabulary. And without vocabulary,
grammar is irrelevant. Now is the time to consider vocabulary and set the stage
for a lifetime of developing more vocabulary.

22

 The time spent at Stage 3 varies for each GLP. A very young child needs only a
modicum of single words, and two-word referential combos, to set the stage for
future development — but a GLP who is older has a library of non-referential
language in their heads, and will naturally develop a dictionary of single-word
building blocks — as long as they are not made to feel babyish or strange doing
so. That’s our job. It’s important to realize that GLPs at Stage 3 feel good about
it. They feel surprised, and empowered. It’s natural to them, even if it feels
awkward to us. We are emerging from the misconception that ALP is the only
way, so we need to remind ourselves of that fallacious thinking, and recognize
the goodness-of-fit that Stage 3 is for the GLP.

So how do we do that? We practice by ourselves until we can feel the naturalness

of it. We practice as we cook dinner, as we drive our car, as we walk the dog.
Then we play word games with our family. We can play these games with our
child in private. The decision depends on what is fun and empowering for the
child. But it is up to us to feel comfortable with Stage 3, which then creates a
supportive atmosphere for our GLP. Look the examples on page 24. Try making
some combos yourself — right now — try it for a full minute. It gets easier
with practice.

Empower your family, then your GLP.

Have fun.

Now let’s look more specifically at Stage 3 supports:

1. Acknowledge the first Stage 3 utterance the GLP naturally offers. When the
child naturally and spontaneously splits up a Stage 2 utterance and says “I…
toy” instead of “I gotta have that toy,” acknowledge it, and recognize its
importance.

2. Depending on the child’s age, think about what to do next. Find a time of
day you can play the referencing game together. Play for anywhere from 5
minutes to a half hour; then return to talking naturally. Resist Stage 2 mini-
gestalts as much as you can, and resist moving into Stage 4 grammar.

23

 • if the child is very young, and has a small repertoire of Stage 2

utterances to split up, support the child to play at Stage 3 until you sense
the child is completely comfortable, and ready to move on. Try for
several minutes each day for a week.

• if the child is older than 3 or 4, they will need more time at Stage 3. Try
for several minutes each day for a few weeks. Make sure you play the
word + word game in different places, so the vocabulary from each
environment is different.

• If the child is much older and has a virtual library of Stages 2

utterances, partner with the child in the word + word discovery process
for as long as you can. Think several weeks at least, if not a whole
month or two. Re-read the chapters about Bevin’s Stage 3 in the NLA
book, and feel empowered by the naturalness of it to an older GLP.

3. Play at Stage 3 by taking equal 2-word turns: focusing on nouns, location

words, and attributes. If the GLP moves on too quickly, they will have to
retreat to Stage 3 again. That’s not bad, but does take more effort.

• Physically ‘reference’ the nouns, qualities, locations with models

• Point, gesture, or look to each word, pause, then reference the next
• Make it fun; model referencing, but don’t require it
• If your child doesn’t play this time, try again later
• If they didn’t play, consider why; change it up next time
• Make it more fun; use a flashlight to highlight each word; turn th
• Lights on-off and recall what you saw; use a flip book that creates
funny combinations; play an I Spy game, or a spinner game, or a
memory game; create a scavenger hunt (with two things in each
location); pick fruits and veggies to put in your shopping cart

4. Again, know that you can come back to Stage 3 if/when you discover some
mini-gestalts that need to be separated.

Here are examples of the types of combinations that are good:

Table + brown, Brown + table, Chair + table, Table + chair, Milk + table,
Milk + white, Chocolate + Milk, Cookie + Chocolate; Outside + clouds,

24

 Rain + sun, Sun + park, Park + slide, Puppy + there, Puppy + furry, Fur
+ soft, Funny + kitty

5. Please stop for 30 more seconds and practice this yourself. Every little bit of
practice helps make this easy and automatic — for you! It will help you model
Stage 3 combos with confidence.

6. Please remember that word order is irrelevant. Referential combinations are

just that. They also point out two important Stage 3 principles:

• Avoid language that sounds like the student’s own Stage 1 or 2 language.
We want to give gestalt processors every opportunity to move forward in
language development, and not retreat to Stages 1 or 2 as a ‘default.’ Of
course GLPs will include more Stage 1 and 2 gestalts and mitigated gestalts
in their ‘language soup’ well into the future, but right now is their
opportunity to play the ‘referencing game’ so they can move forward.

• Avoid verbs. Verbs tend to make word combinations sound like Stage 2 —
and Stage 4, and tend to reduce the opportunity for gestalt processors to
remain at Stage 3. This is first opportunity a GLP has to experience
semantic relationships among referential words, the ones ALPs
experienced early in language development. We want our gestalt processors
to have an adequate opportunity to develop vocabulary in the form of true
referential units of meaning, vocabulary. Yes, they will develop a
vocabulary the rest of their lives, but time spent at Stage 3 is invaluable as a
template for the future.

Stage 4: Self-generating phrases and sentences

As we have pointed out in the last section, the first step into grammar involves
word play similar to that in Stage 3, but with greater variety from other classes
of words: verbs, articles, pronouns, negatives, question forms, adverbs,
conjunctions, and a greater variety of nouns and adjectives. Developmental
Sentence Types includes a wealth of grammatical combinations that further
extends the ‘semantic relationships’ accessed at Stage 3, but includes the other
grammatical constructions that ALPs — and GLPs — acquire before sentences.

25

 First Stage 4 phrases are known for

their experimental grammar, which
helps us know that children are
playing freely with the words that
reflect relationships among concepts
— which is what grammar is all
about! We love the naturalness of
early grammar. Grammar itself is
only a ‘code’ within a culture. It’s
nothing ‘real,’ so experimenting with
possibilities is just right. First try,
second try…it’s all good!

Support at early Stage 4 involves play-based and judicious introduction of those

first elements of grammar identified by researchers and catalogued in DST
(Laura Lee, 1974), and monitoring of the variety the GLP uses.

Once all the combinations that ALPs had a chance to acquire early in their
development have been experienced by GLPs at Stage 4, it’s time for us to
support sentence grammar as outlined in Developmental Sentence Scoring. Age
norms for ALPs were derived in the 1970s, and cannot be applied to GLPs, of
course, but they serve to guide our first supports of gestalt processors who are
ready for early grammar.

Experimental self-generated utterances sound like this: basic grammatical

structures, lots of trial-and-error, simple present, past, and future tenses,
sometimes strung loosely together with ‘and.’ Here are examples of early
grammar:
‘Gots water’
‘Kitty gots more water.’
‘Kitty want out?’

Over time, and with lots of experimenting, Stage 4 includes generating all basic
sentence patterns:
‘My kitty likes to play with his toys.’
‘My kitty and I are good friends.’
‘We played in the snow last winter.’
‘Is your kitty climbing that tree?’

26

 A wonderful progression! But one caveat needs to be mentioned specifically, and

that is: please make sure that every word a child used at Stage 2 is ‘freed up’ to
stand alone. You may have noticed that there were no contractions
(‘I’m…’ ‘It’s…’ etc) in the examples above. Each word was freed up from every
other Stage 1 and 2 context, and could be used alone. So, at Stage 4 we need to
inventory all contractions, and practice freeing up each word as an independent
agent. Later on in Stage 4, GLPs will use contractions again (because everyone
does). But, at the beginning of Stage 4, we need to make sure that every-single-
word is a free agent.

How? By playing with word + word versions of them, including freeing up

’I’ (from ‘I’m'), ‘We’ (from ‘We’re’), ‘It’ (from ‘It’s’), ‘is’ (from ‘It’s’ and ‘That’s’),
and ‘are’ (from ‘We’re’ and ‘They’re). And to practice the freeing-of-single-
words-from-contractions, we have be a bit creative: think single words!

Moving along in the Stage 4 process, DSS is our guide, but we know that we
might have to dip back into early Stage 4 if necessary, and even into Stage 3 as a
refresher.

But, eventually, it all comes together. The illustration below features the
language produced by my friend, Benjamin (‘Bevin’ in the NLA book) as he
developed confidence with Stage 4 grammar accuracy, and Stage 5 grammar
experimentally! It shows how grammar can sound when a GLP begins the
process at age 10, and by age 13, achieves grammar. At some point in Stage 4,
GLPs will use contractions again (because everyone does). But we will support
them best if that time comes ‘later’ rather than ‘sooner.’

27

Stage 5: Self-generating sentences with more complex grammar

Gestalt language processors naturally move into Stage 5 grammar as they realize
the power of verb forms to express past tense and future tense, a variety of
pronouns, the power of question forms, and the conjunction ‘and.’ Our support
continues to include recognizing the natural order of grammar development,
partnering with individuals in their discovery of its power, and a good dose of
grace as we focus on the message of self-generated language and forego critique
of its accuracy.

Stage 5 encompasses the grammar of Developmental Sentence Scoring Levels

4-6, which follow naturally after Levels 1-3. Secondary verbs, conjunction forms
‘or,’ ‘but,’ ‘because,’ and negative forms such as ‘don’t’ and ‘can’t’ emerge here,
with the caveat that ‘do’ and ‘can’ need to precede them so those common
negative forms aren’t used as ‘mini-gestalts.’

When individuals are able to develop Stage 5 grammar during their teen-age
years, their academic use of higher-level language in speaking and writing will be
well-served. And we now know that Stage 5 can continue into many individuals’
20’s, so our time spent in continuing partnership is well-justified.

Stage 6: Self-generating sentences with a complete grammar system

After sufficient success acquiring all the grammatical structures at Stages 4 and
5, Stage 6 is where gestalt language processors have the opportunity to acquire
the full grammar of their native language. Depending on the age a GLP has
arrived at this juncture, the natural expansion of grammar development is
available. Our experience has included seeing individuals continue the process
through their teen years, and this avenue may be available to even-older
individuals. Certainly achieving some aspects of Stage 6 has been documented
into one’s 20s.

Support at Stage 6 involves a continuation of careful assessment and

conversational introduction of the grammatical structures of more advanced
grammar, while carefully addressing the meaning behind the grammar, and
insuring, as always, that ‘form’ does not outstrip ‘function.’

28

 Since this process can naturally continue at least through the teenage years,
maintaining the cognitive and communicative value of each addition to a
grammar system is imperative. Form without function counts for very little.

Life-long Learning: After grammar development has ceased

Rest assured that even when a full grammar system is not achieved by a
particular gestalt language processor, communicating with Stage 4 grammar
allows self-generated language adequate for most day-to-day situations. Stage 4
grammar includes all pronouns, basic past tense verbs, basic future tense verbs,
basic question forms (both interrogative reversal and most ‘wh’ questions, and
basic negation) Please refer to the Stage 4 sentences in the earlier chart and
imagine how these types of sentences satisfy most of our daily needs.

Rest assured also that even without achieving a full grammar system, individuals
who begin the gestalt language development process in their teens or even 20’s
can achieve something in their partnership with you. It may be this: "being
respected as a communicator.” Without you, they may not have been
acknowledged as using language at all, and might have spent the rest of their
lives being ignored. With your partnership, they can come out of hiding behind
their ‘whisper’ or ‘silent’ scripting, and use their gestalt language in the light of
day. And, while we have recently begun the gestalt language development
process with individuals in their 20s, we have yet to determine their ability to
achieve Stage 2 mitigation. We have no reason to doubt the possibility, however,
so whether they achieve Stage 2, or only Stage 1, they will be honored as
communicators — because of you!

Review gestalt language development:

Gestalt language development is natural, and natural strategies of language

development are applicable as long as we recognize when an individual is a
GLP! Some strategies are intended for ‘before’ getting started with language
development; others are most relevant during the first steps, and others are
more important at specific stages:

Principles at all stages of gestalt language development:

29

 (1) Check in with yourself about your partnership with your child — and make
sure you fully believe in the premise and promise of child development.
Know that development is child-led, and the timing is child-specific. Know
that the timeline allows for development throughout the teen years, and that
your partnership allows you to be supportive but does not allow you to
expect compliance or ‘skills’ outside of natural development.

(2) Review all aspects of the gestalt language development process, and make
sure you believe in language development in children: both analytic and
gestalt. If you do not, your intervention not only undermines the
individual’s potential trust in you, but undermines the process of language
development itself. Language that is taught, prompted, and/or reinforced
outside of natural gestalt language development interferes with language
development itself.

(3) Ensure that you have your child’s trust, and can maintain it. Without it, you
really have nothing. At a practical level, without trust, your language models
will have no relevance. Again, know that you can come back to Stage 3 if/
when you discover some mini-gestalts that need to be separated.

(4) Honor your connection with the child. If it ever lapses, go back and repair
it or rebuild it.

Getting started with natural gestalt language development:

(1) Now that you understand gestalt language development, acknowledge what
the Stage 1 child says or sings. These are gestalts, whether we understand
them or not. Stage 1 gestalt language processors are sharing as best they
can. They have done their part to communicate. Our acknowledgment
communicates that we know they are communicators.

(2) If you understand anything the child says or sings, acknowledge what you
understand. When you do, you have taken a conversational turn. But even if
you don’t understand anything, your response is a ‘turn,’ and it can be as
simple as making eye contact, smiling, nodding — whatever you sense your
child might wish you to do to be a good communicator.

30

 (3) Try to tune into the meaning, feeling — or intention of the gestalt. The
child cannot make their message any more clear, so it’s up to us to tune into
them. Do you recognize the melody? How does the child seem to feel when
listening to that song? When sharing that song with you? What might that
song mean to your child? Why might the child be singing it now? It may
take time to uncover the meaning, but it’s worth it! Once the child ‘knows
that we know,’ we are in this together!

(4) Don’t worry if you are not successful with this endeavor. There will be
more. In the meantime, there is plenty to do!

(5) Talk naturally while you go through your day, whether at school or at home.
Allow plenty of silent time too, but when you talk, talk from your heart —
with your authentic emotion built in. Talk without expecting your child to
do anything but enjoy a new ‘sound track’ that they can voluntarily choose
to store to become part of their language development.

(6) All of our language is actually unintended ‘language modeling’ to a Stage 1

gestalt processor, so it helps when we become conscious of what we say.
Just talk naturally 50% of the time. But instead of a complex sentence like:
‘After we get home, we’ll ask your dad to help us find your book,’ think
about simple sentences: ‘We’re almost home. We can look for it together.’

(7) Be aware of your own language. Use these constructions, because what you
say is an unintended language model:

• first person, that is use ‘I’ sentences: (’I love that one,’ ‘I’m thinking
about lunch’)
• your joint perspective (‘We gotta…,’ ‘Let’s find…,’ ‘We’re making…’)
• a neutral perspective (‘It’s time for lunch,’ ‘That’s the best,’ ‘There’s
another one,’ ‘Where did it go?’ ‘What’s happening?’) Questions can be
used as language models, but not for eliciting answers until Stage 4.
• Avoid using ‘you’ which promotes ‘pronoun reversal.’ Try not to say ‘You
look so cute’ (instead say “I love that cute hat.’) Avoid saying ‘Do you
want some more juice?’ (instead say ‘We can get some more juice’ and
then get it, while you watch your child’s expression for concurrence or
rejection)

31

 (8) Think about gestalts your child might like, but don’t overly worry about how
useful they are, or how quickly your child uses one or more of them. If one
doesn’t resonate, another one will. Common ones in American English
include ‘I’m + x,’ ‘Let’s + x,’ ‘Where’s + x,’ ‘Look at + x,’ ‘It’s + x’ (or
‘That’s + x’), ‘How about + x?’ ‘Don’t + x.’ Whatever you pick, it’s
important that they sound natural in the context of your home or school
environment, and that you not over-think this. 50% of your time can then
be spent just listening to your child, responding to them, and being yourself
with your child. Here are some examples.

• Let’s + get some more; Let’s + make a castle; Let’s + run! Let’s go
outside; Let’s + find your stuffy; Let’s + do that together!; Let’s try it!
• I’m + so excited; I’m + gonna eat lunch; I’m + working so hard; I’m
+ thinking about it; I’m + getting tired; I’m + fixing a sandwich for
us)
• We’re + a great team; We’re + the best; We’re + good friends; We’re
+ going to lunch now; We’re + taking the bus; We’re + gonna ride
together
• It’s + the best; It’s + so pretty; It’s + mine; It’s + not scary; It’s + for
our lunch; It’s + up there; It’s + happening tomorrow; It’s + working.
• Look at + that shark!; Look at + the snow!; Look at + our colors!

32

(9) Try to use natural variety in your language. That helps to provide the
‘redundancy’ that kids need to hear so they realize there are smaller parts
inside. Then they can extract those parts to help them move to Stage 2.
Once a child is solidly in Stage 2, the variety of possibilities are endless.
Children will discover their own combinations, but your additions will make
their language richer.

(10) Media gestalts offer possibilities (and challenges) of their own. If they’re
easily accessible for replaying like on YouTube, they can be heard again and
again which helps with hearing them well, saying them more intelligibly, and
committing them to memory (perhaps even without the visual). The
challenges may include their length (impossible to say), their limited
mitigability (sometimes challenging to mitigate from ‘To infinity + and
beyond” to “To infinity + and the store” or “To +the store + and beyond”)

(11) Unless we are are familiar with the origin of media gestalts, children can be
at a disadvantage if their
language gestalts are not easy-
to-break-down — and no one
understands what they’re
saying or why. Some language,
particularly media language,
cannot be mitigated easily —
and may remain in its gestalt
form for years until someone
recognizes that their
‘echolalia’ is really gestalt
language. This phenomenon
isolates children from
language development until
we realize that the best
support for gestalt processors
is providing a rich linguistic
environment.

(12) All children benefit from hearing natural language that matters. If the
language matters to us, we deliver it with authenticity. If it matters to the
child, the child can spontaneously make it a part of their language

33

 development. Delivered during child-directed play, SLPs, teachers, parents,

and others can gauge how resonant our language models are, and use
natural phrases and sentences the child relates to, freely chooses to acquire,
and when they’re ready, uses them to continue their natural language
acquisition journey. If we sense that another (more mitigable) gestalt could
be paired with a media gestalt and be acceptable to a child, we can offer it
— without expectation. It is imperative that we first honor the child and
their original language, however. Not until we have the child’s full trust
should we take this step. We must be incredibly careful that the child has no
reason to think we find their own language to be deficit in any way.

(13) Questions and answers can be modeled as units: “What’s happening? Oh, I
know,” “What’s next? Oh right. Pajamas are next,” “What’s that animal? Oh,
it’s a squirrel,” What’s under there? Oh, it’s a salamander,” “What’s that
letter? Oh, It’s a Q!” So the form of Q/A itself becomes a language model,
which is helpful and very different from asking a Stage 1-3 child to answer
questions. Not until Stage 4!

Gestalt language development guidelines:

Gestalt language development is natural, but unless a child is very young, usually
needs to be supported by someone who understands that it is natural. As long as
the child is not taught, prompted, or made compliant with ‘contingent’
requirements for adult-selected language, their natural language development is

34

possible. Unless the child is younger than three and has a rich linguistic
environment, having someone who understands the process is imperative. Also
imperative are natural language models that the child can freely-adopt. If those
requisites are available, the child has the opportunity to develop a full grammar
system they can use into their future.

Even if the process begins when the child is much older, and a full grammar is
not possible, the outcome can make all the difference to that individual! Some
self-generated language opens doors of flexibility that mitigations cannot. Rest
assured also that even without a grammar system at all, individuals who begin
the gestalt language development process in their teens or even 20’s can achieve
something profound in their partnership with you:
* The flexible use of Stage 2 mitigations can be life-altering. For many GLPs,
this is where they are often recognized for the first time as communicators!
* Even without achieving Stage 2, the Stage 1 communicator can be
respected as a communicator! Without you, they may not have been
honored as using language at all, and might have spent the rest of their lives
ignored as simply ‘echolalic.’
* Whether an individual achieves Stage 2, or only Stage 1, they will be
honored as a communicator — because of you! Just get started!

35

 Where to turn for more resources:

The NLA book, and a variety of articles, courses, webinars, and other resources
further describe NLA, including the research and background:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:

Echolalia and Its Role in Gestalt Language Acquisition

https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/autism/echolalia-and-its-
role-in-gestalt-language-acquisition/

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:

From Echolalia to Self-Generated Language: Case Studies in Natural Language

Acquisition (on demand webinar) (Marge Blanc, Lillian M. Stiegler, Alexandria
Zachos)
https://apps.asha.org/eweb/OLSDynamicPage.aspx?
Webcode=olsdetails&title=From+Echolalia+to+Self-
Generated+Language%3A+Case+Studies+in+Natural+Language+Acquisition
+(On+Demand+Webinar)

Communication Development Center (Articles by Marge Blanc):

www.communicationdevelopmentcenter.com

Northern Speech Services:

Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: The Journey from Echolalia to Self-
Generated Language (Marge Blanc, 2012)

https://www.northernspeech.com/echolalia-autism/natural-language-
acquisition-on-the-autism-spectrum/

MOM-NotOtherwiseSpecified:Dr. Stangetalk or How I Learned to Stop

Worrying and Love Echolalia (Mary McLaughlin, 2006)

Natural Language Acquisition Levels 1, 2, and 3 Courses (Marge Blanc):

36

 https://www.northernspeech.com/echolalia-autism/natural-language-
acquisition-in-autism-echolalia-to-self-generated-language-level-1/

https://www.northernspeech.com/echolalia-autism/natural-language-
acquisition-in-autism-echolalia-to-self-generated-language-treatment-level-2/

https://www.northernspeech.com/autism-assessment/natural-language-
acquisition-in-autism-echolalia-to-self-generated-language-level-3/

New Jersey Autism Center of Excellence Webinars:

Making Sense of Echolalia: It’s All About Language Development! (Marge

Blanc, 3/04/21)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVgTud-IhQA

Gestalt Language Development: the ‘Other' Natural Language Acquisition Style!

(Marge Blanc, 9/16/21)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwzkwkyjSLY

Echoes of Echolalia: Looking at Autistic Language Development Through a

New Lens (Marge Blanc, 10/27/21)
https://www.njace.us/webinars/echoes-of-echolalia-looking-at-autistic-
language-development-through-a-new-lens

AAC: Connecting with Language Learners (Kate Flaxman and Marge Blanc,
12/02/21)
https://njace.us/aac-connecting-with-language-learners/

Conversations in Speech Pathology Podcast Interview (Marge Blanc):

https://podtail.com/en/podcast/conversations-in-speech-pathology/csp-006-
echolalia-asd-supporting-natural-language-/

Natural LUNA Legado Universal del Autismo (Amanda Blackwell):

https://m.facebook.com/LunaAutismo/

Natural Language Acquisition Study Group (Facebook):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1509792445958844/

37

 Meaningful Speech for Delayed Echolalia (Alexandria Zachos):

https://www.meaningfulspeech.com/

Research and history (Lillian N. Stiegler)

“Repeating purposefully: Empowering educators with functional

communication models of echolalia in Autism” (Eli G. Cohn, Keith R. McVilly,
Matthew J. Harrison, Lillian N. Stiegler, 2022)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23969415221091928

“Examining the Echolalia Literature: Where Do Speech-Language Pathologists

Stand?” American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (Lillian N. Stiegler,
2015)
https://pubs.asha.org/doi/pdf/10.1044/2015_AJSLP-14-0166?
casa_token=sJYaKBUa4qcAAAAA:OSJZvKXaVhQAoaIkGOqHYcLMGExOF4q8v
zCO6voj91o1IxCNuj8iNycBrJYVocac4DruVi2xVG7Q

A Language-Based Approach to Managing Echolalia (On Demand Webinar)

https://apps.asha.org/eweb/OLSDynamicPage.aspx?
Webcode=olsdetails&title=A+Language-
Based+Approach+to+Managing+Echolalia+
(On+Demand+Webinar)&utm_source=asha&utm_medium=facebook&utm_c
ampaign=wecholalia

Background research (Barry Prizant and Ann Peters):

Language Acquisition and Communicative Behavior in Autism: Toward an

Understanding of the “Whole” It. (B Prizant, 1983)

Analysis of the Functions of Delayed Echolalia in Autistic Children (B Prizant

and P Rydell, 1984)
http://barryprizant.com/resources/downloads/echolalia-articles/

The Units of Language Acquisition (A Peters, 1983, 2021)

www.communicationdevelopmentcenter.com

38

Post Script:

To insure a person’s language develops naturally, we have to refrain from

teaching and prompting rote language —ever!

Rote language is learned as a skill (or verbal ‘behavior’), but learning such
‘splinter skills’ interferes with natural language development.

This is the bottom line: language ‘learning’ is a skill; language development is a

life-long natural process!

We have no reason to give up…ever!

39